TL;DR: DepEd hires new teachers through the Registry of Qualified Applicants (RQA), a ranked list built from points across education, training, experience, licensure rating, demonstration teaching and a written reflection. The cut-off to enter the registry is 50 points out of 100, set in item 49(b) of DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023 — the 70-point figure still circulating online is from the superseded 2015 guidelines. Once hired, teachers advance through promotion (moving into a vacant higher post) or reclassification (upgrading an existing position without a vacancy). DepEd's Expanded Career Progression System, introduced under DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025 and amended by DepEd Order No. 34, s. 2025, extended the classroom teaching ladder to Teacher I through VII and Master Teacher I through V, and leans on RPMS/PMES performance ratings rather than waiting lists. Exact graduate-unit thresholds for the newest ranks are not consistently reported across sources; confirm them with your schools division office rather than trusting any single number.
Getting hired as a DepEd teacher and getting promoted afterward run on two different systems, and conflating them is where a lot of confusion starts. This guide separates the two: how the Registry of Qualified Applicants ranks and hires new Teacher I applicants, and how promotion and reclassification work once you're already inside the system, including DepEd's newest career-ladder overhaul. Where official sources and reputable secondary sources disagree, especially on graduate-unit thresholds, this guide says so directly rather than picking a number, because DepEd itself has not published a single consolidated table covering every recent change. Confirm anything mission-critical (an actual hiring decision, an actual reclassification application) with your schools division office before acting on it.
What Is the Registry of Qualified Applicants (RQA)?
The RQA is DepEd's official, ranked list of applicants who passed the department's evaluation process for Teacher I positions. Those who clear the registry's cut-off score are ranked and considered as vacancies open within the applicable school year; those who don't may reapply in a later cycle.
The current hiring framework runs under DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, "Guidelines on Recruitment, Selection and Appointment in the Department of Education," dated March 22, 2023, which governs recruitment for Teacher I positions across all levels, school administration posts, related-teaching, and non-teaching positions. Earlier hiring cycles ran under different DepEd Orders (including DO 7, s. 2015), which is the root of some of the confusion below.
The order sets the scoring out explicitly. Table 1 of DO 007, s. 2023 allocates 100 possible points for Teacher I positions:
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Education | 10 |
| Training | 10 |
| Experience | 10 |
| PBET / LET / LEPT rating | 10 |
| PPST Classroom Observable Indicators (classroom observation / demonstration teaching) | 35 |
| PPST Non-Classroom Observable Indicators (Teacher Reflection Form) | 25 |
Note what is not on that list: there is no separate interview score for Teacher I, despite how often one appears in online rubrics. Demonstration teaching is by far the heaviest single component at 35 points, with the written Teacher Reflection Form second at 25.
What Is the RQA Cut-Off Score?
50 points out of 100. Item 49(b) of DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023 requires two comparative assessment reports for Teacher I hiring, and says of the second that it "shall contain only the candidates who have met the cut-off score of 50 points." Only that report, the CAR-RQA, is submitted to the appointing authority and posted publicly.
The 70-point figure that appears in a lot of still-circulating teacher blogs traces to the older DO 7, s. 2015 framework, not to the order in force. Where sources here disagree, the answer is that one set of them is describing a superseded issuance.
Disclaimer: hiring cut-off scores, point allocations, and rubrics can change by DepEd Order and by hiring cycle. Confirm the current year's cut-off against the specific hiring announcement (DepEd Memorandum) for that cycle or with your schools division office's HR unit before relying on it.
Promotion vs. Reclassification: What's the Actual Difference?
Promotion and reclassification both move a teacher to a higher position title and salary grade, but they work differently:
| Promotion | Reclassification | |
|---|---|---|
| Requires a vacant position? | Yes, historically | No |
| Basis | Competing against other ranked applicants for the vacancy | Meeting qualification and performance standards for the position already held or aspired to |
| Frequency | Tied to when a vacancy opens | Under the newer system, teachers can reapply for the next career stage after roughly one year if requirements are met |
| Salary grade jump | Typically one step at a time | Capped without Civil Service Commission or Department of Budget and Management approval if the jump exceeds a certain number of salary grades |
The historically bigger friction point was that promotion required an actual open slot, which meant qualified teachers could wait years for a higher-rank position to become vacant near them. DepEd's Expanded Career Progression System was built specifically to reduce that bottleneck by making reclassification the primary path upward for classroom teachers who meet the standards, rather than requiring them to wait for and compete over a vacancy.
What Is the Expanded Career Progression System?
The Expanded Career Progression System (ECPS) is DepEd's current framework for teacher and school head advancement, established under DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025, "Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads in the Department of Education," and later amended by DepEd Order No. 34, s. 2025. It traces its policy basis to Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022.
Two things changed structurally:
- The classroom teaching ladder got longer. DepEd Order No. 19, s. 2025 set amended qualification standards for the existing Teacher I-III and Master Teacher I-IV ranks, and established qualification standards for newly created Teacher IV through Teacher VII and Master Teacher V positions. This replaces the older ceiling (Teacher I-III, Master Teacher I-IV) that most older online guides still describe.
- Two separate career tracks now exist. Classroom Teaching (Teacher I-VII, Master Teacher I-V) and School Administration (School Principal I-IV) are distinct tracks, and a teacher may move between them once, subject to qualifications and assessment.
DepEd's own messaging around the rollout, in Education Secretary Sonny Angara's words, framed the intent as advancement that follows once a teacher meets the standards and demonstrates competence, rather than one that waits on a vacancy.
What Are the Timeline and Transition Rules?
DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025 set a three-year transition period running from February 25, 2025 to February 24, 2028. During this window:
- Vacant Head Teacher and Assistant Principal posts convert to Teacher I positions within 90 days of the order's effectivity.
- Unfilled Teacher I-III and Master Teacher I-IV positions are expected to be filled within one year of the implementing rules taking effect.
- Current Head Teachers and Assistant Principals may retain their existing titles or reclassify without losing salary, protecting incumbents from the restructuring.
- Teachers within five years of retirement reportedly receive priority consideration for promotion under the transition rules.
- Teachers who did not advance in the previous year may reapply for advancement within the same career stage after roughly one year, rather than waiting for a full new hiring or promotion cycle, provided they meet qualification standards.
Disclaimer: transition rules for a multi-year rollout like this are exactly the kind of detail DepEd tends to amend with follow-up memoranda (as it already did once, with DO 34, s. 2025). Confirm the current state of the transition with your division office before making a career decision based on any specific date above.
How Do Performance Ratings Factor Into Promotion Now?
Advancement to a higher career stage under the ECPS generally requires Very Satisfactory or Outstanding ratings across the relevant PPST indicators rated under RPMS/PMES, rather than a single flat cut-off score applied uniformly. A single Satisfactory rating in one cycle does not automatically disqualify a teacher from advancing within the same career stage, based on how DepEd has described the system publicly, but a pattern of ratings below Very Satisfactory will.
Reclassification specifically has also been described in secondary reporting as requiring a minimum point threshold, separate from and in addition to the RPMS/PMES rating requirement. Some of that reporting cites 50 points, which is the same number DO 007, s. 2023 uses for the hiring RQA — and that overlap is exactly why it is worth checking. Nothing in the public record settles whether reclassification runs on the same 100-point hiring rubric or a separate one, so verify any specific numeric threshold with your SDO rather than taking it at face value.
What Are the Graduate-Unit Requirements? (Sources Disagree)
This is the second point where this guide is flagging real disagreement rather than picking a number. Under the older promotion framework (DepEd Order No. 66, s. 2007, referencing earlier MEC and DECS orders), the commonly cited graduate-unit thresholds were:
| Position | Graduate/Professional Education Units Cited |
|---|---|
| Teacher II / Teacher III | 18 professional education units (bachelor's level), no graduate units required |
| Master Teacher I | 18 graduate units toward MA in Education or equivalent |
| Master Teacher II | 24 graduate units toward MA in Education or equivalent |
These figures come from guidance tied to DepEd Order No. 66, s. 2007 and older MEC/DECS issuances, and multiple still-circulating teacher resource sites repeat them. However, DepEd's newer Expanded Career Progression System (DO 24, s. 2025, qualification standards under DO 19, s. 2025) restructures advancement around PPST performance-based career stages rather than a simple unit ladder, and public secondary reporting on the new system's specific graduate-unit requirements for Teacher IV-VII and Master Teacher V does not converge on consistent figures. Whether the old 18/24-unit figures still apply, have been superseded, or apply only to teachers who haven't yet transitioned into the new rank structure is not something this guide can confirm from available sources.
If a graduate-unit number matters to your actual career decision, such as whether to enroll in a Master of Arts in Education program now, confirm the current requirement in writing with your schools division office rather than relying on any single online source, including this one.
How Promotion and Reclassification Affect Pay
A rank change under either promotion or reclassification moves a teacher to a new position title and typically a higher salary grade on the Salary Grade Table, which in turn changes base pay under the Salary Standardization Law schedule DepEd employees are covered by. Reclassification jumps are capped at a certain number of salary grades without separate Civil Service Commission or Department of Budget and Management approval, according to secondary reporting on the ECPS. This guide does not print a figure for that cap, because no source it could verify pins it down; confirm it against the actual order text or your division's HR office before you count on a specific pay jump.
Practical Tips If You're Aiming for Promotion or Reclassification
- Track your RPMS/PMES rating history now, not when you're ready to apply. Since advancement leans on a pattern of Very Satisfactory or better ratings, a single weak cycle years ago can matter less than a recent one, but you want your documentation in order either way.
- Confirm which career stage system your division is actually using. With a three-year transition period running through February 2028, some divisions may still be processing older promotion requests alongside the new ECPS reclassification path. Ask directly rather than assuming.
- Don't rely on unit thresholds from older articles. As flagged above, the graduate-unit requirements most search results cite are tied to a superseded order. Get the current requirement in writing from your SDO before enrolling in additional coursework specifically to hit a number you read online.
- Keep your credentials and RQA documentation current even after you're hired. Reclassification and further advancement draw on the same kind of documentation (education, training, performance ratings) that the original RQA process did.
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Sources
- DepEd — DO 007, s. 2023: Guidelines on Recruitment, Selection and Appointment in the Department of Education (official)
- DepEd — DO 007, s. 2023 full text, including the Teacher I point system and the 50-point cut-off (official PDF)
- DepEd — DO 024, s. 2025: Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads (official)
- DepEd — DO 019, s. 2025: Amended Qualification Standards for Teacher I-III, Master Teacher I-IV, and the Newly Created Teacher IV-VII and Master Teacher V Positions (official)
- DepEd — DO 034, s. 2025: Amendments and Clarifications to DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025 (official)
- GMA News Online — DepEd rolls out expanded career progression system for teachers
- Manila Bulletin — DepEd assures more promotion opportunities for teachers through Expanded Career Progression System
- TeacherPH — Guidelines on the Appointment and Promotion of Teacher II and III
- TeacherPH — 2019 DepEd Guidelines for Master Teacher Promotion
- SchoolFinderPH — RPMS and IPCRF Explained for Public School Teachers
- SchoolFinderPH — How to Become a Teacher in the Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — Teacher Salary in the Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — Salary Grade Table Philippines
- SchoolFinderPH — MAEd Philippines Guide
